The peach blossoms of Divine Firmament City rival those of Mysterious Capital Temple in renown.

Dong Huafu secluded himself here, building a humble hermitage to practice his swordsmanship, oblivious to the changing seasons.

The other eight swordsmen from his hometown had begun practicing the dozen or so sword techniques that Divine Firmament City had exceptionally imparted. Even the Daoist officials of Jade Pivot City, generally speaking, had to rely on their cultivation realm and meritorious deeds to obtain such supreme sword arts.

Only Dong Huafu silently memorized the sword techniques, invaluable treasures that money couldn’t buy, without ever practicing them.

Furthermore, Dong Huafu was the only one among the nine who hadn’t yet received the official Daoist certification from Jade Pivot City of White Jade Capital. There were murmurs about this matter within Jade Pivot City, but they were all suppressed by Wang Qing. As one of the two Deputy City Lords of Divine Firmament City, Wang Qing was a middle-aged Daoist with a golden hibiscus crown, possessing a gentle and approachable demeanor. He frequently visited Dong Huafu’s hermitage for casual chats.

Currently, the position of City Lord of Divine Firmament City remained vacant, with widespread speculation about who would ultimately command the city.

The two Deputy City Lords, Wang Qing, was a Celestial Immortal, and the other, a female Daoist named Xiao Feibai, with the Daoist title “Ink Dou,” was also a Celestial Immortal. However, she was also a Daoist Sword Immortal of exceptional skill, so Xiao Feibai was considered the more likely candidate to fill the City Lord vacancy. Interestingly, Xiao Feibai and Wang Qing were Daoist partners, so whichever of them took over Divine Firmament City, it would still be kept within the family.

The problem was that this Daoist couple were only Celestial Immortals, which was seen as somewhat “ordinary” to be the City Lord.

Thus, a variable had emerged recently. A stranger had come to Divine Firmament City – the swordsman Hao Su.

Although this Judicial Official was virtually unknown on the Sword Qi Great Wall, not even among the top ten Sword Immortals of the city wall, he had unexpectedly gained fame beyond. In the Vast Expanse, he had slain the Ascended Realm cultivator Nan Guangzhao with his sword. In the Wildlands, he had killed the Ascended Realm Great Demon Xuanpu, who was also the City Lord of Immortal Hairpin City, known as the tallest city in the human realm.

Therefore, Daoist officials from the five cities and twelve towers, including Divine Firmament City, were now speculating whether Hao Su could directly become the City Lord of Divine Firmament City.

A guest arrived at the hermitage. As usual, the host was poor, so the guest was obliged to bring his own wine – a way of robbing the rich to help the poor.

Dong Huafu raised his white bowl and took a sip of the peach nectar wine, which he always found delicious, and curiously asked, “Judicial Official, I heard you’re about to become a high-ranking official again?”

According to Second Shopkeeper, drinking wine from a cup instead of a bowl diminished the flavor by at least half.

The other eight from his hometown, who had become Daoists in Divine Firmament City, were doing quite well and often came to chat about the inside scoop from various cities and towers of White Jade Capital.

Those eight young swordsmen would occasionally seek Hao Su’s advice when they encountered bottlenecks in their cultivation. Initially, Hao Su would provide detailed explanations, but before long, he established a rule for them: one question per realm. In other words, each swordsman could only ask Hao Su one question in a particular realm; they would have to wait until they broke through to the next realm before asking another question.

This swordsman before him, who was considered “one of their own,” truly had a knack for officialdom. He could become an official wherever he went, which was quite enviable.

Hao Su shook his head and smiled, “That’s just gossip. Before I came, I agreed with Lu Chen that I would only be a guest official of Divine Firmament City.”

Dong Huafu asked, “Is that because you know you can’t become one, so you’re being modest, or is it that you could become one but you simply don’t want to?”

Hao Su said, “If I wanted to be one, I could be, but there’s no need. Being burdened with too many mundane matters would only hinder my sword practice.”

Dong Huafu raised his bowl of wine, suspending it in the air, and asked, “Is that why Judicial Official didn’t draw your sword on the Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Hao Su’s expression darkened, and he shook his head, “There were some unspeakable reasons. I dared not die. But the fact remains that I didn’t draw my sword to slay demons, and I have failed the trust of the Old Great Sword Immortal.”

On the battlefield of the Sword Qi Great Wall, enticing each Sword Immortal to leave the city and fight, and each Wildlands Great Demon to attack either arrogantly or seemingly rashly, was often a far-reaching and insidious plot. The Wildlands would go to any lengths to achieve the feat of slaying a Sword Immortal, and the bait could be either surrounding and not killing certain young cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall, or forcing Wildlands demons to use their lives as bait under the coercion of the Great Demons. There was a saying on the Sword Qi Great Wall’s wine tables, rumored to have originated from the Summer Retreat Palace, that every Sword Immortal who grew up had at least five “future” Sword Immortals die in their place.

Dong Huafu nodded and grinned, “To be such a high-ranking official, with such a high cultivation realm, and still be willing to say such submissive things to a junior like me, Judicial Official, you still have some conscience. Every family has its own problems, so let’s not dwell on it. Let’s drink to that.”

This was also why Hao Su was willing to frequently bring wine to “invite scolding” here. At least he could hear some sincere words here, regardless of cultivation realm, on the human realm’s wine table, everyone was equal.

Dong Huafu asked, “With Judicial Official’s cultivation realm, why didn’t you take a high-ranking position in another city?”

A Transcendent Realm swordsman would be a prized commodity anywhere.

The current position of Divine Firmament City among the five cities and twelve towers of White Jade Capital was neither high nor low.

Hao Su said, “I still hold the title of former Judicial Official, after all. I can at least take care of you all here to some extent.”

In the Five Colors World, the new Judicial Official of Ascension City was Qi Shou, while Ning Yao was only the Acting Hidden Official, so Hao Su was indeed, strictly speaking, a former Judicial Official.

Dong Huafu looked up at the distance. The massive city hung high, surrounded by ethereal immortal aura.

Spirit Treasure City was where Second Teacher Yu Dou attained enlightenment, and Southern Glory City was the Daoist temple of Third Teacher Lu Chen.

As for Azure City, also known as Jade Emperor City, it was the place where Great Teacher Kou Ming once preached, and it was the first city built by White Jade Capital. Only the Purple Qi Tower, built by the Dao Ancestor himself, was “of the same age.”

As for Cloud Water Tower and Gem Radiance Tower among the twelve towers, they were both Daoist lineages passed down by the Great Teacher.

For some unknown reason, Jiang Yunsheng, who had only recently taken office as the City Lord of Azure City, quickly went into seclusion.

Outsiders speculated that Jiang Yunsheng had obtained a great fortune and was about to accomplish the feat of breaking through two realms within a few years and proving the Dao of Ascension.

In fact, this speculation was both right and wrong.

Inside the sleeve of Master Lu’s Daoist robe, named “Beating All the Smart Places in the World,” he had once hidden an extraterrestrial demon captured from beyond the heavens and quietly placed it in the Daoist heart of Jiang Yunsheng, who was supposed to “get promoted and make a fortune.” This was a case of “the devil is one foot tall for every ten feet of the Dao.” The position of City Lord of Azure City was not so easy to hold. If Jiang Yunsheng could not overcome his inner demons, he might as well disintegrate and be reincarnated.

The Deputy Tower Master of the twelve towers could be at most two people, and they must be Daoist officials of the Celestial Immortal realm to be qualified.
However, the number of Deputy City Lords in the five cities isn’t fixed, ranging from one to three, depending solely on the City Lord’s personal preference.

The height of the Twelve Towers of the Five Cities varies depending on the accumulated merit over each sixty-year cycle, rising and falling accordingly.

Dong Huafu curiously asked, “Lord Censor, do you know where the Grand Headmaster has gone?”

Hao Su smiled, “How would an outsider like me know such top-secret information about Bai Yujing? Next time Lu Chen visits, you can ask him yourself.”

One must admit, Lu Chen is a delightful fellow.

The Immortal Peaches of Divine Firmament City and the Jade Emperor Plums of Verdant Citadel are both recognized throughout the world as immortal delicacies.

Verdant Citadel is located in the northernmost part of Bai Yujing.

A single city possesses the Jade Emperor Grotto, one of the Ten Great Grotto Heavens, along with the “Spirit Turtle Grotto Heaven” and the “Axe Ke Grotto Heaven,” two of the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto Heavens. It also occupies three of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

This is unique in all of Bai Yujing, and perhaps unmatched throughout the myriad realms.

The Azure Underworld possesses the most Mountain Fortune.

Heaven is divided into Yin and Yang, and as Qian and Kun were separated, clarity and turbidity were divided, merging into oceans, rivers, and streams on Earth, and matching the sun, moon, and stars above, forming mountains and peaks from spiritual energy, and harboring grotto heavens and blessed lands below.

Within the Fourteen Provinces, no nation has the concept of the “Five Peaks,” but each province has a famous mountain with the title of “Suppressant.” Among them, four major provinces, including You Province, can also bear the title of “Peak,” somewhat similar to a high-ranking official in the mortal world simultaneously holding the title of Grand Preceptor or Grand Tutor. The remaining ten mountains without the Peak title hold only the Suppressant title, hence the common folk call them the Four Suppressant Peaks and the Ten Suppressants. Each “Suppressant Peak” has a shrine built by the Mountain Deity, while the other ten Mountain Lords have slightly lower divine rank.

Today, the two Deputy City Lords who were supposed to attend the Jade Purity Palace council have unexpectedly visited the thatched hut together.

Hao Su could naturally see that they were in the form of astral projections. For the sake of Divine Firmament City’s enduring prosperity and the continuation of its incense offerings, this couple has truly gone to great lengths.

As expected, Wang Qing addressed him directly by name, getting straight to the point, “Hao Su, while the Jade Purity Palace has yet to discuss your position, my wife and I are willing to recommend you as the City Lord of Divine Firmament City. As long as you agree, our true bodies at the Jade Purity Palace will have the confidence to advise the two Headmasters on this matter.”

The entire Ancestral Hall of Divine Firmament City has made its decision, believing that it’s feasible for Hao Su to become the City Lord.

Hao Su didn’t mince words, directly shaking his head, “Better to avoid this hot potato.”

To a swordsman, everything else is illusory, only one’s cultivation is real.

Hao Su aspires to be a pure swordsman of the Fourteenth Realm, seeking nothing else.

Hao Su frankly stated, “Divine Firmament City’s foundation is limited. If you were asking me to be the City Lord of Verdant Citadel, I might consider it.”

Becoming the City Lord there would allow him to rightfully occupy one of the grotto heavens, establishing it as his cultivation ground, making sword refinement twice as effective with half the effort.

In Divine Firmament City, which only has one blessed land, Hao Su doesn’t think there are any real benefits to being the City Lord. It’s not worth dividing his attention on mundane affairs for a mere title.

Xiao Feibai smiled wryly, speechless, “You guessed it, he really doesn’t think much of a Divine Firmament City that is ‘a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice’.”

The Five Cities of Bai Yujing: Verdant Citadel, Spiritual Treasure City, Southern Splendor City, Jade Pivot City, and Divine Firmament City.

Previously, because Divine Firmament City had produced nine additional swordsmen, its position had been steadily declining. Now, it has finally risen a hundred zhang. A hundred zhang, in the face of the towering Bai Yujing, is negligible.

But Divine Firmament City has, after all, halted its decline, which is more important than anything.

Although Verdant Citadel has been declining since the Grand Headmaster stepped down as City Lord, its “landing” height is the most among the Five Cities. However, it has a strong foundation, and the saying “The Twelve Towers of Jade Capital, towering against the verdant green,” is not just flattery. Compared to it, Divine Firmament City is like having only a small amount of money, while the former holds a fortune. Therefore, who is more wasteful when spending the same amount? The answer is obvious.

Currently, Divine Firmament City’s height has been at the bottom since being surpassed by Jade Pivot City. The problem is that it’s not just ranked last among the Five Cities, but it has also been surpassed by two towers in the past five hundred years. If this continues, Divine Firmament City will truly be unworthy of its name, just like some of the harsh words from various states, it’s better to rename it “Divine Firmament Tower,” which would sound much better in the rankings.

The old City Lord, Yao Kejiu, whose daoist name was “Imitating the Ancients,” has already perished at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The old Daoist priest was also the master of Wang Qing and Xiao Feibai.

There are over six thousand Daoist officials within the city, with no successors.

In the past thousand years, there hasn’t been a single talented Daoist official who dares to say that they will definitely attain enlightenment and ascension.

Wang Qing and Xiao Feibai both believe that they have no hope of reaching the Ascension Realm in this lifetime. Therefore, the next City Lord of Divine Firmament City must have enough cultivation to shoulder the burden, continue the incense offerings of Divine Firmament City, and revitalize the Daoist lineage.

Hao Su clasped his fist and said, “I’m truly sorry, I’ve failed your expectations.”

Wang Qing sighed, disappointment inevitable, but he still smiled slightly, “We wouldn’t dare to force someone. It’s already a great honor that Mister is willing to serve as a Guest Elder of Divine Firmament City.”

After the two Deputy City Lord Daoist officials took their leave, Hao Su laughed, “Dong Black Charcoal, do you really approve of the Hidden Official so much?”

Dong Huafu nodded, “I’m too lazy to think, he thinks things through thoroughly, and Chen Ping’an has a feeling about him that I can’t quite put my finger on, something uncommon.”

Hao Su asked, “Tell me about it.”

In fact, he, as the Censor, hasn’t known Chen Ping’an, the Hidden Official, for long, and they haven’t even exchanged a few words.

Dong Huafu hesitated for a moment, “Just a feeling, like walking down the street, even if I don’t know you, I can feel the ‘aura’ on you. Deputy City Lord Xiao Feibai is even more so, you can tell at a glance that you’re not easy to mess with. Even those few fellow villagers, who are younger than me and have lower cultivation, I can clearly feel the ‘aura’ on them, getting heavier day by day. Daoist aura, immortal aura, heroic aura, wealthy aura, official aura, scholarly aura, an arrogant aura that keeps people at a distance, a smug aura of someone who’s struck it rich, an aggressive aura… There are many, anyway, it’s all a vague feeling. Wang Qing might be an exception, so he’s a bit like Chen Ping’an.”

Hao Su was silent for a moment, then said a single word, “Balanced.”
Dong Huafu took a sip of wine and nodded, “That’s the feeling. His walk, his speech, his complexion, his eyes, the way he sits down to drink… Wang Qing gives me the impression that he’s incredibly ordinary. But it’s not the aloofness of a hermit, nor the detached aura of someone who desires nothing. On the contrary, he’s full of vitality, but he’s deserving of any status. You might not click with someone like that, but it’s hard to dislike them.”

At the highest point of White Jade City, there isn’t an official name, but it’s commonly known as the Upper Clarity Pavilion.

The Dao Ancestor occasionally imparts teachings here. According to custom, apart from the three Sect Leaders and the young Daoist disciple “Shan Qing,” no one is allowed to set foot here without permission.

The Ancestral Hall of White Jade City is named the Supreme Clarity Hall. Besides the Dao Ancestor and the three Sect Leaders, only portraits of Ascended Dao Officials throughout history are hung there.

However, the “Ancestral Hall” of White Jade City convenes for discussions in a place called the Jade Clarity Palace, a secret realm of mountains and waters within its own separate dimension, not within the confines of any city or pavilion.

Today, a grand council is being held in the Jade Clarity Palace.

Those qualified to participate in the council, in addition to the city lords and pavilion masters (and their deputies) of the Five Cities and Twelve Pavilions, also include specifically invited “unburdened” Celestial Dao Officials – those who are very old and experienced, some of whom were even highly respected former city lords and pavilion masters for many years.

A single Jade Clarity Palace, hanging as if in the great void.

A sea of azure clouds, Dao Officials standing or seated.

Behind closed doors, one item on the agenda is a suggestion from Sect Leader Lu that half of the merit earned by the swordsman Hao Su, who serves as a guest elder of Divine Firmament City, for moving the Bright Moon Radiance to Azure Abyss should be deducted in advance. In the future, if Hao Su slays an Ascended cultivator in Azure Abyss, White Jade City will not hold him accountable. As for matters outside of White Jade City, things would proceed as they may. Hao Su could seek revenge as he wished when he ventured out. White Jade City would not interfere either.

According to the rules of the Jade Clarity Palace, participating Dao Officials can reject any decree issued by the three Sect Leaders. However, today, seeing that Sect Leader Yu had nothing to say, the assembled Dao Officials went along with the flow and did not object to Sect Leader Lu’s proposal.

But then Lu Chen added a sentence, and the council hall was no longer so silent; some Daoists immediately let out cold snorts.

It turned out that Sect Leader Lu was starting to act foolish again, suggesting that Hao Su be allowed to challenge any Dao Official within White Jade City to a duel with the remaining half of his merit at stake, with no consequences.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Sect Leader Lu became anxious.

He had actually approached several close friends, brothers, and seniors beforehand, and they had all agreed. Sect Leader Lu had personally visited them, communicated his intentions, and sought their support.

Take Wang Dongzhi, the pavilion master of the Hall of Jade, for example. He had just treated Sect Leader Lu to a cup of clear tea before coming to the Jade Clarity Palace for the council.

Sect Leader Lu had spoken with great enthusiasm, recounting the hardships, dangers, and near-death experiences he had endured to obtain a coral pen holder from the desolate Jade Tablet City. Today, at the council, he expected Wang Dongzhi to nod his head and support his own brother.

It seemed that he couldn’t rely on these treacherous fellows.

No matter, this humble Daoist still had his senior brother!

Yu Dou looked at his junior brother “with that talisman” and finally spoke.

During the hundred years that Lu Chen was in charge of White Jade City, any duel between Hao Su, the guest elder of Divine Firmament City, and another, would deduct the remaining half of his merit for moving the moon, in addition to merit from Lu Chen.

“Lu Chen” immediately clarified, “Everyone, let’s be clear. It’s only deducting merit from Southern Brilliance City. Let the debt be paid to those it is owed. In the future, whoever seeks revenge should still look for Hao Su. Do not, by any means, come looking for this humble Daoist!”

Madam Wei smiled and said, “Let me correct that. City Lord Lu misspoke earlier. It’s deducting merit from ‘Sect Leader Lu Chen,’ not deducting merit from our Southern Brilliance City. We need to distinguish between public and private matters.”

The other two deputy city lords of Southern Brilliance City openly echoed Madam Wei, showing no respect for their own city lord.

For Sect Leader Lu to be a city lord to this extent, it was truly beyond words. This was what it meant to have the support of the people and to win hearts.

Lu Chen looked at Wang Qing, who shook his head.

Lu Chen then felt some regret. It would be very suitable for Hao Su to serve as the city lord of Divine Firmament City.

But there was no way around it. Divine Firmament City could not provide Hao Su with the private Dao field he desired. As for Azure Verdant City, Hao Su was definitely not suitable to lead this city. If Lu Chen dared to suggest it, he would be drowned in the saliva of the Jade Clarity Palace today. Besides, the number of deputy city lords was already full, or rather, it had always been fixed. His eldest brother was not currently in White Jade City. Even if Lu Chen had some ideas, Sect Leader Yu would not agree. Otherwise, it would be good for Hao Su to transfer to Azure Verdant City to serve as a deputy city lord.

Xiao Feibai signaled to Sect Leader Lu to say something fair, regardless of Hao Su’s thoughts. Force the issue and attribute it to the decision of Jade Clarity Palace, turning Hao Su into a duck being pushed onto a perch.

Sect Leader Lu, however, yawned incessantly and began to close his eyes to rest.

Today, the oldest Dao Officials in the Jade Clarity Palace were, of course, the old-timers of White Jade City, such as Huang Jieshou and Pang Ding.

However, there were also two youngest juniors who were participating in the council despite their youth, being extremely young. At this moment, being within the Jade Clarity Palace, they were like young cranes standing atop azure clouds.

Recently, several major events had occurred in White Jade City.

First, nine swordsmen from Sword Qi Great Wall had entered Divine Firmament City to refine their swords. It was said that one of the young swordsmen, surnamed Dong, possessed exceptional talent and was a descendant of Dong Sangeng.

Second, Sect Leader Yu, who had not accepted any disciples for a long time, had finally accepted a personal disciple from the Vastness World after six hundred years.

Then, there was the Sword Qi Great Wall’s law enforcer, Hao Su, who controlled his sword from that round Bright Moon Radiance to Divine Firmament City and had also settled down here. It was said that White Jade City would very likely offer a city lord position.

Jiang Yunsheng, the gatekeeper “Dao child” of the former Inverted Mountain, had just ascended to immortality and was promoted to city lord of Azure Verdant City, breaking all precedents.

Saying it was a “breaking of precedent,” was not only because Jiang Yunsheng, through this, became one of the few non-Ascended city lords and pavilion masters in White Jade City’s long history, but also because this matter had bypassed the Jade Clarity Palace council, being privately decided by Sect Leaders Yu Dou and Lu Chen. At the same time, it was obvious that the Dao Ancestor had silently approved of this decision, so it did not cause any waves within White Jade City.

Finally, Zhang Fenghai of Jade Pivot City had betrayed White Jade City on the same day he left Smoke and Mist Grotto of Suppressing Mountain Palace, choosing to establish his own sect. He found Xin Ku of Leap Month Peak and publicly announced the official founding of his sect, with Zhang Fenghai serving as the first sect master and Lu Tai, an unknown Qi cultivator, serving as the deputy sect master.

This newly emerged sect, with only six members, was already enough to make the fourteen prefectures of Azure Abyss take notice.

This was because, among the registered cultivators, there was not only the martial artist Xin Ku, one of the newest Ten Under Heaven, but also the unranked immortal Lv Bixia, a candidate for the same.
Furthermore, it is rumored that the female ancestral master of the Yongzhou Immortal Staff Sect, whose Daoist title was “Seizing Clouds,” Shi Xingyuan, had already shed her mortal form and departed this world.

Yuan Ying, once one of the young hopefuls of several celestial realms, had two masters who guided her in the Dao, namely Liu Qi and Cao Zu from the Blessed Land of Poetry.

Therefore, it seems strange that Lu Tai serves as the Deputy Sect Master and concurrently holds the position of Chief Honored Guest Elder.

Outside of the White Jade Capital, very few Daoist officials can stir up such fervent discussion. Zhang Fenghai is one of the rare exceptions.

Whenever Zhang Fenghai is mentioned, Daoist officials within the White Jade Capital, regardless of their cultivation realm or lineage, feel a sense of regret. After all, with Zhang Fenghai’s aptitude for cultivating the Dao, he seemed perfectly suited to be a direct disciple of a Dao Ancestor.

The crux of the matter is that, with this departure and subsequent expulsion, the White Jade Capital effectively “lost” two Zhang Fenghais.

The City Lord of Spirit Treasure City, Pang Ding, whose Daoist title is “Empty Heart,” opened his mouth and asked, “Who in the heavens is this Lu Tai? How did he get mixed up with the traitor Zhang Fenghai?”

The old Daoist emphasized the single character “Lu” quite heavily.

Lu Chen started observing his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, becoming absent-minded and wandering off in thought.

Could it be that everyone with the surname Lu in this world is related to this poor Daoist?

The two Deputy City Lords of Jade Pivot City, Guo Xie and Shao Xiang, one snorted coldly, while the other directly retorted, “May I ask City Lord Pang, how is my junior brother Zhang Fenghai a traitor?”

Pang Ding narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, “Junior brother? Could it be that I remember incorrectly? Zhang Fenghai merely relinquished his Daoist registration with the White Jade Capital, yet continued to retain his Daoist affiliation with Jade Pivot City?”

Not long ago, the old Daoist Xu Zujing, who had drunk a jar of Myriad Years Wine under the bright moonlight, held his horsetail whisk. This acknowledged soft-hearted and good-tempered Guardian of the Laws of Jade Pivot City, sneered, “Whether Zhang Fenghai holds a Daoist affiliation with Jade Pivot City or not, is none of your Spirit Treasure City’s business.”

Their master’s last disciple, their youngest junior brother Zhang Fenghai, is the greatest knot in the hearts of this group of senior brothers, bar none.

The old Daoist Huang Jieshou, whose Daoist title is “Equilibrium,” the former Master of Azure Cloud Pavilion, had recently stepped down as the Palace Lord of even Suppressing Peak Palace. Thus, the old man no longer carries his signature string of keys on his waist.

Huang Jieshou said, “To be fair, Zhang Fenghai cannot be considered a traitor. He was personally sent out of the Misty Haze Cave by the Dao Ancestor himself.”

Pang Ding was momentarily speechless.

He had inadvertently run into a tough customer.

Lu Chen clapped his hands lightly without making a sound.

Let you seek trouble with this poor Daoist, you brought misfortune upon yourself, didn’t you?

Beside the Sect Leader Lu Chen, a cloud of azure qi remained vacant.

It belonged to the Daoist Shan Qing, also a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, who could not attend the meeting because he was far away in the Five-Colored Realm.

In truth, the White Jade Capital does not hold this last disciple of the Dao Ancestor in high regard.

He was actually sought out for a sword duel by Ning Yao, and utterly defeated, losing all face.

Even if the opponent is the foremost expert of the Five-Colored Realm, even if it is Ning Yao, no one expected Shan Qing to win. But at the very least, they hoped for a situation where he lost with honor. The result was that he was completely defenseless.

As a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, how could he be so inept? Could he truly become one of the future four Sect Leaders of the White Jade Capital?

In addition, Jiang Yunsheng, the new City Lord of Azure Green City, was also absent today.

Following this, within the Jade Clarity Palace, the highly ranked and powerful Daoist officials posed a series of questions to the two Sect Leaders.

An old crone, a Deputy Master of the Violet Qi Tower, was the first to speak, asking, “Should we interrupt the Universal Offering Grand Ritual of the Fish Talisman Dynasty in Yongzhou, or should we block the divination results afterward?”

Although Yongzhou is the smallest of the fourteen prefectures, a “mountain peak” at the bottom of a great river at its border is home to a Lotus God Shrine, outside of which stands a ten-thousand-year-old camphor tree.

The dynasty that occupies this underwater mountain god shrine, if they build a Grand Ritual altar of the highest specifications, can assess the fortunes and calamities of the four prefectures simply by chopping off the branches of the camphor tree.

Not long ago, the Empress Zhu Xuan built a Universal Offering Grand Ritual altar dedicated to three thousand six hundred gods, personally serving as the chief sacrificer.

The camphor tree naturally branches out in four directions, pointing precisely towards Yongzhou and the other three prefectures, including Peizhou. Each branch governs the rise and fall of a prefecture’s fortunes; this is not some mystical saying, but a universally acknowledged truth.

Within the Lotus God Shrine is enshrined a national treasure of the Fish Talisman Dynasty, a spear named “Formation Breaker.”

The reason why the Fish Talisman Dynasty has been able to stand tall in Yongzhou for so long is largely due to this magical weapon recorded by the White Jade Capital, because it was a token of love given to the founding emperor of the Zhu clan of the Fish Talisman Dynasty by Wu Zhou.

So, who would dare covet it?

If Lu Chen were in charge of the White Jade Capital, whether by acting brazenly or being unreasonable, he would have “persuaded” the young empress not to act so impulsively.

But the problem is that it is his senior brother Yu Dou who is currently in charge of worldly affairs.

Therefore, Lu Chen can only advise on such internal affairs of the Fish Talisman Dynasty, but cannot directly intervene. Thus, his last trip to the Lotus God Shrine was fruitless, as he had no legitimate grounds to interfere.

The key point is that the Lotus God Shrine also hides a massive secret, which the White Jade Capital naturally knows, as it originated from the Dao Ancestor’s own hand.

The reason why a mountain god shrine was built underwater, with surging water veins constantly washing against the shrine, is to suppress… martial prowess with the great river’s water currents.

This is because within the Lotus God Shrine, in addition to enshrining a spear named “Formation Breaker,” it also suppresses one of the former “Joint Slayers.”

For ten thousand years, the lotus root has remained connected, like a giant holding an object, perpetually imprisoning that unruly divine weapon.

Sect Leader Yu Dou said calmly, “The Fish Talisman Zhu clan building the Universal Offering Grand Ritual is in accordance with the rules, the White Jade Capital need not interfere.”

Since the Sect Leader had spoken thus, none of the Daoist officials raised any objections.

The second question during the Jade Clarity Palace meeting was, “Since that ‘Taiyin’ Daoist friend’s path is aligned with ancient divine weapons, and she can refine them to enhance her cultivation, could the Azure Cloud Pavilion bestow upon her that set of armor that has been sealed for many years? Would this entice her to become the Chief Honored Guest Elder of the Azure Cloud Pavilion? In this way, the Divine Firmament City has the ascended realm swordsman Ke Hao as its guest elder, and the Azure Cloud Pavilion would have Wu Zhou, a fourteenth realm expert, as its Chief Honored Guest Elder…”

Before the seasoned and prudent Daoist official could finish speaking, Yu Dou had already interrupted, “Wu Zhou previously proposed taking that Azure Cloud Pavilion armor in exchange for her becoming the Deputy Master of the Azure Cloud Pavilion. I have already declined, this matter need not be discussed further.”

The Jade Clarity Palace was instantly silent.

Lu Chen sighed softly. He knew it.

The female Daoist Wu Zhou cannot be described as merely a genius amongst geniuses. Her existence caused all the Daoist officials of her era to pale in comparison.

Aptitude, talent, opportunity, temperament, achievements… Wu Zhou surpassed everyone else in the world in her time.
She hailed from a humble Daoist temple, and relying on a few commonplace Daoist scriptures and some secret mental cultivation techniques passed down by her master, she had already reached the Jade Purity Realm in her maiden years. Moreover, during a solitary journey for experience, she obtained a crucial portion of the legacy of the “Forger,” one of the ancient Twelve High-Ranking Gods. From then on, Wu Zhou’s cultivation journey was like a soaring dragon. Due to this divine ability, she excelled in both crafting and breaking through realms, ultimately becoming the foremost Refiner in several realms.

Within six hundred years, Wu Zhou personally forged countless semi-immortal armaments and treasured artifacts, yet she regarded them as mere “inferior goods,” gifting them away, selling them at low prices, or even casually leaving them lying around. Bai Yujing had recorded no less than sixteen such items.

Bai Yujing’s decision not to interfere with the affairs of the Fish Token Dynasty, nor to recruit Wu Zhou, whose former Daoist sanctum was located in Yongzhou, signified that Zhu Xuan’s divination concerning the fortunes of the four provinces was a foregone conclusion.

For a time, the atmosphere within Jade Purity Palace grew somewhat heavy.

Lu Chen said, “Then let us continue the deliberations.”

“How shall we deal with that Leap Month Peak?”

“Sun Huaizhong of Xuandu Temple, Gao Gu of Earth Lung Mountain, and Yao Qing of the Azure God Dynasty – have these three truly reached the Fourteenth Realm?”

“Is it in accordance with the rules for Grand Tide Sect and Twin Capitals Mountain to construct a Great Ziwei Enclosure Formation within Yin Province, thereby altering the province’s natural landscape without authorization?”

“The results of this year’s selection for the Ten of the Realm and the Ten Candidates are exceptionally suspicious. Is it the doing of Long Xinpu of Demobilized Mountain, stirring up trouble? Is the Yang clan of Hongnong in You Province involved?”

“At the end of last year, someone from the Yang clan of Hongnong erected a banner atop a mountain peak at the site of an ancient battlefield in You Province, proclaiming their intention to eradicate a demon from the world. Who is this demon?”

“Gao Ping, a scholar of the Year’s End Palace, is willing to associate with Bai Luo, the Watchman who destroyed his nation and killed him in a past life. Is this not the strangest matter under heaven? Furthermore, the Year’s End Palace also has the support of that person with the Daoist title ‘Wu Yang,’ using the alias ‘Huan Jing.’ Is this not like adding wings to a tiger? Wu Shuangjiang’s thoughts and intentions are already known to all! Bai Yujing should not be harboring a tiger, allowing it to grow strong. This hidden threat should be resolved as soon as possible.”

“The monk Jiang Xiu possesses extremely high swordsmanship and is now in You Province. He must not be allowed to run rampant, stirring up trouble within the borders of Bing and You Provinces. Should we invite him to be a guest at Bai Yujing?”

“May I ask Headmaster Lu, what is Chen Ping’an’s true cultivation realm at present? Approximately when will he reach the first layer of the Divine Arrival Realm? Can he become a Flying Ascension Realm swordsman? Will this person come to Bai Yujing to test his sword?”